Exploration Modes
Exploration Modes '''control the objective of the player in a scene. While objects still need to be found, some modes may hinder or alter a player's search. Certain modes add more items to the location's item drops. A neutral location will have 3 minutes to explore, no more than 5 minutes at most even with Anomalies, and a minute and a half at its lowest. The amount of items to be found will be consistent and based on the Location Rank. The only way time can be extended past 5:00 is with the aid of Chronometers. ''Disclaimer:' This wiki is maintained by fans of the game, and is not affiliated with G5 Entertainment or the people behind the game in any way. If you are experiencing problems in the game, contact support. Words "Game mode 'Words' is active on the location. You need to search for items using their names." This is the most common mode. There are no changes to gameplay, but more items need to be located than any other mode. Backwards Words "The special mode 'Backwards Words' is active in the location. Item names are reversed." Item names are reversed, with no change in time to explore. Slightly fewer items need to be located. Silhouettes "This location uses the Silhouettes game mode. In the tasks area, only Silhouettes of objects will be visible. You have to search for items by judging their silhouettes." Find items based on their shape. Items may not be oriented as shown in the list. The hardest part being identifying what you are trying to find - use your imagination, what looks like a sea anemone may turn out to be a mirror! In Werewolves Lair, The Sewers, and in The Tomb of the Knight, a variation of Silhouettes appears, where the objects are given in full color, but the time limit halved. * This may also appear in Mystical Rounds below. Strategy/Counterplay: ' If the player has played a location many times, silhouettes often won't do much tto impede their search. Location knowledge is key; Silhouettes mode is more troublesome appearing in locations that the player is unfamiliar with, recently unlocked or not played in awhile. Most telling is that certain items may only have a specific silhouette for a specific spot (take the many different Lutes in the Emperor's Palace, for example) Night ''"This location uses the Night special game mode. Only a small illuminated area of the Hidden Object Scene will be available to you. The rest of the location is dimmed." Find items in a dimmed room, with only a small circle of illumination. An extra minute is added to the time, and slightly fewer items to be located. 'Strategy/Counterplay: ' Even experienced players may slow down in Night Mode, and there isn't much that can be done without eyesight. If one cannot find an item, moving slowly can help focus the eyes, and not staying in one spot. In terms of tools, Lanterns can be purchased merely with coins instead of gems, so stocking up can save the player from using more important items like Compasses or magnifiers. In general, tools ignore the need for a player to use their sight. Night mode will make more difficult locations more arduous, like the Fair or Patio, but simpler Locations can still be solved by moving the cursor slowly. Abracadabra "The location uses the Abracadabra game mode. In the tasks you will be given the names of objects in which the letters are mixed up. Identify the correct sequence of letters to find the items." Find items based on their scrambled name. Two minutes are added to the time. * A Decoder can be used to unscramble the names of items currently in the task list. * After February of 2018, the scrambled words now have the proper letter capitalized, making it easier to guess the words. ** This was likely done to separate words with the similar letter combination, such as 'Runes' and 'Purse' in the Room of Fate. 'Strategy/Counterplay: ' Similar to Silhouettes, one should be familiar with the items in a location; if not, a glance at any wiki page should help. Since the first letter is always capitalized, and the players have five minutes to explore, time may be taken to figure out any troublesome words. For those more adept, some items can be guessed or figured out simply by the capital letter. Similar Items "Similar items" mode is active on this location. You must look for pairs of items with the same name. '' Find pairs of items, with an extra minute given, as well as the location being more cluttered. '''Strategy/Counterplay: ' With less different item types to find, some may consider this mode easier than the traditional Words method. The strategy, while quite obvious, is to recall two different places of a specific object name and seek them out. Note that objects may not be literally the same thing ("Ball" in Collector's house can be a baseball or football, and several "Apples" in the game are engraved into something or the actual fruit. Past / Hindsight "Hindsight is active in this location. Find clues of the past." Find the differences between a full coloured image, and a monochrome image of the area. The time is extended by two minutes. 'Strategy/Counterplay: ' Objects in the colored part of the screen are easier to locate due to how eyes anticipate color. However, objects with different shading are easier to see when viewing the monochrome side. This makes the game a traditional 'find the differences' challenge, but the player has a full 5 minutes as well. Some objects are always in a certain spot with this mode. Reflections On this location the 'Reflections of the Past' mode is on. Mirrors of the past will point to a clue that is invisible in the present. Find the differences in a mirrored image, with five minutes to search. * Note that In Werewolves Lair, The Sewers, and in The Tomb of the Knight, a variation of the Past & Reflections modes appear where the time limit is shorter than it normally would be in other city locations. The number of items to be found is also greatly reduced. '''Strategy/Counterplay: While it may seem like a harder variant of Past mode, there are two often-mentioned strategies, going cross-eyed to view both sides at once while moving them, and using the line in the center of the screen-- as an object pops out on one side, it may not on the other. Note that the Scenes are also more cluttered in this mode to throw off the player. Small items become especially difficult to notice, as well as those that cannot be centered. Night Silhouettes Night Silhouettes mode is active in this location. Night will fall on the location, and only the silhouettes of items will be visible in the task area. Night Silhouettes so far has been limited to the modified silhouettes modes found in some of the dungeon locations, just like it sounds it combines Night Mode and Silhouettes mode together for players to find silhouettes in the dark. The effected locations are: * Werewolves Lair * The Sewers * The Tomb of the Knight Invisible Ink The special mode "Invisible Ink" is active in the location. Item names are written in an ink that only becomes visible with time. Use your wits to find the items from the search list before the time runs out. '' Invisible Ink is a lot like the Distortions anomaly with a reverse effect. Players start out with one two letters and the rest of the letters are filled in over time. '''Note: This mode is available in Upper City only.' Strategy/Counterplay: ' This mode requires ''strong memory of the Location's items, and unfortunately does not give more time to work with. The best method without using Tools is to find the first few items as quickly as possible, so letters are filling in for the items one can't figure out yet. Luckily, the Decipher Cube tool is quite common, but remember it may only reveal words currently on the player's list, so avoid spamming it after every object found. Filled in words should be immediately sought out, so newer words have more time to fill. Mystical Rounds ''"Mystical Realms" has formed at locations affected by a special mystical effect. To find all the items, you need to complete 4 special rounds. Each round has a different type of search. '' '''Note: This mode is available in Upper City only and players may need to find the same item more than once of the 4 possibles. Mystical Rounds features any four of the above modes, randomly, that the player must complete. In turn, 30 more seconds are given, and drastically fewer items are needed to complete a single round. Other round types include: *Color-filled Sihouettes *Finding many of one item *Finding related items (e.g. "Food") Secret Items "Secret Items" mode is active in the location. At the scene, you can find Vintage Keys, which don't appear in the search list. The keys are required to open the chests that appear during the event. 'Secret Items ' is a unique mode that only occurs during Events. Multiple of an item, usually keys, unrelated to completing the scene will appear in the location with this effect. Getting enough of them will allow the player to open special chests around the city, but is not required to complete the search. Starting with the Japanese Garden event in 2018, there is a counter at the top that tells you how many of the items are in the scene, this number tends to change on rank so keep an eye on it. When you find all the items, the player then sees a green check mark on the counter and gets a few minor bonus rewards for finding all of the items, these rewards range from a few coins or energy to a random collection item or assembler. The Detector Tool can be used to find these items, as they are not on the player's list. The only time this mode could be transferred to other locations was during the Halloween 2017 Event, by clicking hats and ghosts around the map. * Even then, only the Collector's House and Room of Fate could receive this mode outside of Event Locations. As of 2019, The mode can appear in other Locations than the current Event, though timed Quests. These quests take place in Locations of similar months or aesthetic to the ongoing Event. Tips and Trivia * The Backwards Words mode was added along with the Masquerade Ball in October 2017. * The Christmas School is the first Location to have its animated parts still occur in Reflections and Past modes. ** Every new location since follows this enhancement; but this was not updated for older locations. * Modes that add more time, as well as the Anomalies that do may be more useful in the Event Locations to find the Secret Items there. * For Distortions Mode, it is useful to first look at the list, then find most of the items on it before the names disappear. ** Occasionally, finding an item from the list may cause another word to lose more letters. ** Taking a screenshot when the location first loads is as effective as memorizing the items. ** If you have many deciphering cubes, use one of these to help if you cannot figure out a word. ** To get a summoner, complete the Slumberous Music collection (Under Monsters). * In 2019, G5 quietly (unannounced) added a new exploration mode to the game called "Night Silhouettes" Related Pages * Hidden City Home * Hidden City Info * Locations Category:Gameplay